Construction Training: Ideas and Resources for Making it Happen

Construction training is a vital part of a successful construction business, and everyone holds one of the pieces. Copyright: / 123RF Stock Photo)

There’s much more to construction training than learning the technical aspects of how to do a job. There are also supporting and amplifying skills, and knowledge, that turn acceptable performers into exceptional performers. These ‘other’ skills are increasingly needed in construction because of complexity.

Oxford Economics took a deep look at the human resources challenges in the near future and found that 66% of companies are coming up short in putting together a workforce that will meet their business goals. Basically, business leaders are out of touch with what people want from their employers in “incentives, benefits and training.”

Insights First

Central to that misunderstanding is the failure to collect and use information that will provide actionable insights.

[otw_shortcode_quote border=”bordered” border_style=”bordered” background_pattern=”otw-pattern-4″ color_class=”otw-green-text”]”Just 38 percent say they have ample data about their workforce to understand their strengths and potential vulnerabilities from a skills perspective…”[/otw_shortcode_quote]

People don’t succeed just because they know how to do one thing really well. A project manager with poor communications skills is just one conversation away from failure. A carpenter who’s highly skilled at nailing lumber together, but who doesn’t know how to get the most use from each piece of lumber, is failing all the time.

Construction Training Assessments

To find out what ‘other’ types of construction training are in short supply, companies need to follow some type of process. And, to really get valuable insights you have to look at individuals, rather than at groups. Each person comes to the job with a different set of personal and technical skills. They also have different skill levels. Besides one-on-one meetings to talk about the skills and experiences a person has, observing people as they work provides deeper insights about their mastery of those skills.

Nice-To-Have Skills Count Too

There are also nice-to-have skills, like those of an advanced computer user, or those who have an advanced mechanical aptitude. While not directly required for the job, they help to support job skills. For example, a worker who can also maintain the tools required for their job is less likely to have to stop work because of a tool failure.

Places Offering Construction Training

There is a time for formal construction training especially when it comes to safety, new materials, new tools and new methods. But there is also a need for informal, general training that helps people fine tune their skills, or to get ‘other’ skills that will help them perform better and advance in their jobs. Today, there are many options, and for cash strapped small businesses, and the individuals themselves, here are examples of online courses, and online places to get training.

1 Comment

There are really good sources for training for contractors nowadays. But few months of real experience is much better to my mind)

About Me

After years of managing construction projects Duane is now writing and developing multimedia for construction, technology and advertising companies. When he isn’t doing that he finds creative outlet in his own construction projects.